A/N: I must have set one of the records for longest lag time between updates. So sorry to keep you waiting! I felt like I should keep writing this since I had already plotted this story out. Life got in the way (*waves hands at COVID*), but hopefully this was worth the wait.

Dan's eyes were lost in Blair's until she broke away, pulling back from him. He had gotten too close to the truth, too close to letting her know that he was still in love with her, and he had to turn it back around or it would mean disaster for the both of them. Dan cleared his throat, checked the watch on his hand and nodded towards the main exhibit. "I think we can get in line now."

"There you guys are!" Sara exclaimed from the entrance of the main exhibit, waving at Dan and Blair.

Jenny eyes were twinkling with mischief as she walked towards them. "So, tell me, are you a sinner or a saint?" She gave them both a teasing wriggle of her eyebrows.

"What?" Dan looked between the women, clearly confused.

"Pay attention, Humphrey," Blair rolled her eyes, pointing up at the sign above that stated in block letters, ARE YOU A SINNER OR A SAINT?

Sara explained, "The exhibit is a pseudo-confessional, so you have to decide whether you want to make a confession or hear one."

"Ahhh," Dan replied, starting to understand the concept. He felt stupid for not researching the exhibit before coming. He had been too caught up in the idea of spending time with Blair that he hadn't done his homework.

"I can't believe you didn't check out the main exhibit. I thought I trained you better," Blair smirked, arms crossed.

"Just out of practice," Dan muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Sara explained further, "It's completely anonymous as to what booth you're put into and who will be in there with you, and also slightly dangerous-slash-exciting depending on the question you get." Sara giggled, thinking of the possibilities. "They say some confessions can be pretty risqué."

Blair eyed the two lines. "I may be a sinner, but I also like to watch." Blair had that devilish look in her eyes that always made Dan's stomach flip with its outrageousness. "But I also don't trust any of these plebians with my secrets, so saint it is!"

"I have many confessions to make, so I'm going in that line," Jenny grinned, pointing at the Sinners line.

"What kinds of confessions?" Dan asked pointedly at his little sister.

"Oh, no you don't! You're coming with me. I do not want to risk the possibility that I get stuck with my big brother in one of the booths."

Sara beamed. "Great! Then I'll go with Blair to the Saints line. We'll see you on the flip side!"

Before she knew it, Blair was being dragged by Sara towards the other line, but her brows furrowed in concern. "There's no chance we'd be stuck in one of those booths with Jenny or Dan, right?"

Sara grinned, but quickly hid her expression before turning to Blair. "No, there are twelve booths and it's highly unlikely we'd even make it to the front of the line at the same time as Dan and Jenny. Besides, even in the extremely unlikely chance that we are, they won't know it's us, so there's no reason to tell them if we do."

Blair nodded, but chewed her lip in concern. She wouldn't mind hearing some of Jenny's dirty secrets to tease Jenny with later, but she didn't feel right about hearing Dan's. They had rebuilt the trust between them and it would be a breach of that trust if she listened in on something he wasn't yet ready to tell her.

Meanwhile, across the way, Dan and Jenny were moving slowly through their line. Jenny commented nonchalantly, "So you and Sara seem like you're vibing."

"Yeah, she's nice." Dan's mind was not on his sister's questions. Instead, he was focused on that feeling that something was off about Blair. She had been so unexpectedly vulnerable with him and he wasn't sure if he had done enough to reassure her. He didn't think there was any way her diary entry could mean anything other than he wasn't enough for her. He didn't contemplate the possibility that she might have thought she wasn't enough for him.

Jenny's eyes narrowed, noting the lack of enthusiasm in her brother's voice. "She mentioned you guys are going to a concert next week."

"Who?" Dan asked, blinking at Jenny.

"Sara?"

"Oh, right, yes, we're going to see Lisa at her gig next weekend."

"Okay, what is going on with you?" Jenny pouted with her arms crossed.

Dan looked at her in confusion. "What? Nothing is going on. What are you talking about?"

"Don't think I didn't notice that you and Blair have some kind of weird tension between you." Jenny frowned. "The friendship thing not working out?"

"No, we're fine," Dan said firmly. "She just told me something I didn't realize before and it made me rethink some things about the past. That's all."

"What did she say?"

"It's personal."

The sincerity in Dan's voice made Jenny back off. Clearly it was something not to be shared. "Okay, just as long as you remember that she's a married woman and you don't get dumb ideas like maybe you guys can be anything more than friends," Jenny warned him.

Dan swallowed the bitter truth. His sister's warning was much too late.

As they got closer to the confessional booths, Dan had a sudden flashback of taking Blair to see a priest after she lost her first child. He flinched at the painful memory and the raw, open wound Blair had let him see. He wondered if she ever had moments like that while he had been away and whether Chuck had been man enough to step up to be there for her. It burned him to think she would ever have to suffer alone because as strong as she was, she wasn't invincible.

In the other line, Sara asked Blair, "Any chance you're free this week to go to one of my friend's story slam nights?"

"Aren't you going with Dan to that?"

"Well, yeah, but it's a public event. Dan said he might even try writing something to share for it. You guys are friends, right? Friends are supportive," Sara hinted.

"What day is it?" Blair couldn't help being intrigued.

"Monday."

Blair's heart fell. "I can't. I promised Chuck we'd have dinner with Henry."

Sara nodded. "No big deal. Maybe next time."

"Dan said he invited you to see Lisa Loeb. Are you guys, um, becoming friends?" Blair hated that she asked the question, but she couldn't let it go. She needed to know if Sara was interested in Dan romantically. Maybe if she knew the truth, she'd finally realize that she needed to stop wishing for things that were never going to be real.

"Yes, he's such a great guy. I don't know how he's still single," Sara smiled wistfully. "He's smart, funny, adorable, just easy to be around. Not like the Wall Street types my family keeps trying to force on me."

"That's great," Blair said softly, her voice devoid of emotion. "Really great," she muttered.

"Ohhhh! It's our turn!" Sara exclaimed, pushing Blair towards one of the booths and jumping into the one next to it.

Blair stepped inside the cramped space, closing the door behind her and took a seat. She looked around the dark space in confusion when suddenly a monitor popped in front of her displaying three questions and instructing her to choose one:

What is your greatest regret?

When was the last time you had your heart broken?

If you could relive one moment in your life, what would it be?

Hmm, these were a lot tamer than she had expected. Blair decided she wanted to hear about something happy to lift her spirits, so she chose the third option. Then she waited as the darkness and the quiet wrapped around her.

"Oh, umm, hello?" came a voice through a speaker.

Blair's entire body lit up in recognition at that mumbling, stilted voice.

"I, uhh, guess I'm supposed to answer this question on this screen. What moment would I want to relive? Hmm, I have to think about that . . ."

Holy crap! How did she end up in the same booth as Dan? Should she say something? Stop him before he revealed something he might not want her to know?

"That's a tough question. If I were cooler, I would say none of them, because there are too many new memories I want to make . . . but that'd be pretentious, right?" Dan's awkward chuckle bounced through the booth.

Blair covered her mouth to hold back a giggle. Dan was such a dorky hipster sometimes.

"Hmmm, well, I was just reminded of a pretty amazing moment in my life that I wouldn't mind reliving."

A familiar comfort washed over her, as memories of past quiet conversations between them flitted through her mind. She forgot how nice it was to have him confide in her and to have someone to confide in, in return. She missed it so much.

"It was an ordinary night, nothing too exciting. I write scripts for movies and, wait, is that annoying that I said that? Forget I said that. Anyway, I watch a lot of movies. And there was this one night when I was watching The Philadelphia Story for the thousandth time and even though I was in the middle of New York City, I felt like I was in my own little world. Like I was in a snow globe frozen in time. Is that too cheesy? Sorry."

Blair shivered as goosebumps prickled her arm and she immediately knew what night he was referring to. She wanted to yell at him to stop, to not do this to her, but she couldn't. She could only listen.

"Well, it was just me and this amazing girl sitting on my couch at my place, and it was like I had everything I needed right there. It was surprising how comfortable it was to be with her when we could barely stand breathing the same air before that night. But when we both fell asleep before the movie ended, it was the best sleep I'd had in probably forever. After that night, every moment with her carried this special weight to it and for the first time in my life, I realized how lucky I was to know what I had while I was experiencing it. It was a gift. And even though I wasn't able to hold onto it, I will always have that memory of her falling asleep in my arms and trusting me."

The tears in Blair's eyes threaten to spill. Life was so unfair. She wanted to reach out and tell him that his arms were the safest place she'd ever been, that she missed it so much, that she wanted it all back again, but she was trapped into a life she had chosen. She would never have that again. Never have him again.

"Well, I guess that's it? It was nice chatting with you, mystery person. I kind of wish I could ask you the same thing."

The steps of the Met, Blair thought immediately. That's the moment I want to relive. Me in a gaudy pink princess dress and a plastic tiara with the one man who loved me more than I ever deserved. I would give anything to be back there again. To feel what it was to be truly happy, ignorant of the bad choices I was about to make that would cost me you.

Then the light turned on, signaling that it was time for Blair to leave the booth. She gave it a few moments, trying to make sure Dan did not see her leaving the same time he did. It was wrong, but his confession was a secret she wanted to keep for herself.

A minute later, Jenny stepped out of her own confessional, having left a stranger with an especially juicy story of one New Year's Eve in SoHo. As she rounded the corner, she caught Sara giving a hug to one of the museum employees and wandered over, wondering where Blair had gone.

"Who was that?" Jenny asked Sara.

Sara turned around in surprise. "Just a friend from back in the day. So how was it?"

"It was liberating," Jenny smirked. "But does your friend have anything to do with the fact that I saw my brother leaving the same confessional booth that Blair is exiting right now?"

Sara shrugged. "What a funny coincidence. I have no idea how that happened."

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were interested in my brother."

"Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy, brilliant writer, really sweet . . . but I think he's a little hung up on someone else."

"A married someone else, you mean," Jenny frowned.

"So you see it too!" Sara exclaimed.

Jenny crossed her arms. "I may have not been there the last time these two had the misguided notion they could be more than frenemies, but I saw the fallout. There is only heartbreak ahead for the two of them if they pursue anything more than that."

Sara gazed over at Dan and Blair who had caught up with each other at the museum exit. "I guess we'll just have to see. Say goodbye to them for me, will you?" Sara gave Jenny a hug and then headed toward a different exit.

Jenny sighed. "I thought we'd be friends, but I guess I'll have to settle for mortal enemies."

Sara laughed and waved as she headed out.

"So give up anything good in there, Jenny?" Blair asked, her face a mask hiding her mixed emotions after hearing Dan's confession.

Jenny smirked. "Nothing I haven't already told you over drinks at the Empire." Jenny then turned to her brother. "So what did you confess in there, Dan? Any deep dark secrets you have hiding under your decades old flannel?"

Dan shrugged. "Nothing very interesting. I thought I'd get a better question, to be honest."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd get a boring question." Then she turned to Blair. "Did you hear any good gossip in your booth, Blair?"

Blair shook her head. "Sadly, no. Should have known better than to do this exhibit on a weekday afternoon. No one interesting spends their day off at the museum unless it's for work like we are."

"Well, speaking of work, I need to work on some sketches for Coachella for your mom, so I better get going." Jenny gave them both a hug before departing the museum.

"Want some company walking back to your office?" Dan offered.

Blair smiled softly, unable to resist his lopsided grin. "Sure."

As they walked side by side down the New York sidewalks, Blair felt the familiarity and comfort return. How many times had they met up for morning coffee, museum visits and movie screenings on this same sidewalk? And how come it never got boring no matter how many times they argued over their favorite artists and writers?

She suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him at one of the less crowded street corners. "Dan, I need to confess something."

Dan stood still, his eyes raking over her features, trying to understand why she sounded almost fearful.

"I don't ever want you to think I take you for granted," Blair said, her eyes focused on his. "I want us to be friends again, real friends this time. You always gave me the best advice even if I acted like you didn't. You knew me well enough to tell me when I was self sabotaging even when I wouldn't listen. I never ask for help from anyone, but for some reason I knew I could with you. You made me admit that I needed you, and while it was hard for me, you were right. The problem was I took advantage of you, and I didn't give back what you gave to me. I don't want to do that anymore."

Dan stared at her, uncertain if he was happy with her proposal or if it was the worst thing she'd ever said when he knew that he would always want more than her friendship. "Don't blame yourself, Blair. I guess I've always wanted to help you. Even before we were friends, I saw it. The broken parts of you looked so much like the broken parts of me. You were the first person I ever told about my issues with my mom even though I barely knew you. You scared me in so many ways, but something in me knew that you were more than that."

"Chuck always thought my scary side was exciting, he didn't see how much I didn't want to be that person. Didn't want to need the fear and power to protect myself. My friendship with Serena, I wanted to love her more than I wanted to hurt her but I was afraid, so it made it easier when she betrayed me because fear and revenge I could do. Unconditional love. That's so much harder. To be vulnerable like that. To hope for something like that. I didn't think that could be real. And if it was, it wasn't for people like me." Blair sighed, a heartbreakingly soft sound.

Dan could see in Blair's eyes then that she was remembering their fight when he had confessed his unconditional love for her. It had been conditional thought wasn't it? It was conditional on her loving him in return, which she couldn't do. But now he had to set his selfish wants aside and be a true friend to her. "I want us to be friends, Blair." Dan said the words that felt like a poisonous lie that he would willingly swallow down for her. "You were a good friend to me, too. I needed you as much as you needed me. Maybe more."

"Thank you," she whispered, the gratitude in her voice making his heart pound harder.

"And my first act of being your friend is to help you fix things with Chuck," Dan decided.

"What do you mean?"

"Chuck won't change unless you make him change, and I think I know exactly how we can make him," Dan explained.

"How? The only time I was able to get Chuck to even talk to me about our problems was when he found out I was spending time with you."

"Exactly. If jealousy is the motivator he needs, we can make it happen."

Blair raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the proposal. "Are you sure?"

Dan gave his signature lopsided grin. "I don't mind getting punched out for you."

Blair fell in love with him all over again in that moment and she wanted to scream at the injustice of it all. Here he was, ready to sacrifice himself for her when she already owed him more than she could ever repay in one lifetime. "I'm not sure this is the best idea. Let me think about it?"

Dan nodded, and then turned to continue their walk back to her office. She reluctantly released his wrist, feeling the loss immediately. Then he turned to her and remarked, "By the way, your friend Sara was being really strange today."

"How so?"

"She keeps hinting that there might be more between us, which is so weird. She knows you're married right?" Dan asked.

"Of course. That's so . . . strange." Blair was going to kill, Sara, that sneaky wench. They continued the rest of the walk in comfortable silence, realizing that they were about to find out what friendship meant at this point in their lives.

Later that night as Blair got home and ready for bed, she asked Chuck, "If you could relive one moment in your life, what would it be?"

Chuck turned off the light on his nightstand and yawned. "I guess the day we brought Henry home from the hospital."

Blair nodded. "Me too," she replied. Though it felt like a lie because as much as she loved her son, she felt the joy of being with him every day. That day on the steps of the Met was something she could never get back again. Except unlike for Dan, she didn't know what she had when she had it. Now it was too late. But that was a truth she'd never tell . . .